An Insider's Thoughts on Getting the Best Results From Your Consultants

August 05, 2006

Which approach would you choose in a relationship with a consultant – or any other provider of professional services? Which do you think they would choose?

Based on a few decades of experience, on both sides of the table, I believe that cooperative is usually better than adversarial; that “mutually beneficial” is better than “beating them.”

Let’s assume you’ve found the “right” consultants to help you with the issue you’re addressing. You believe they’ve got the experience and expertise that you need. You trust they’re looking out for your best interests. Do you want to control the relationship? Do you think they should want to control it?

The consultants will bring experience and expertise to help resolve your issue. You’ll bring currency (real money) and the potential of a reference -- if not future work.

The best relationships are based on a tacit understanding that both parties are bringing something valuable to the table and – that by working together in a cooperative fashion – both will benefit by the exchange of the value that each brought.

If you’re not working cooperatively – in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect -- with your consultants, you may want to reconsider your options.

August 04, 2006

For over 24 years Consulting to Management, also known as C2M, has been a source of invaluable information and insight into the world of management consulting. Unfortunately, they have ceased publication. The reasons are many but primarily revolve around the decline in the number of subscribers who received their copies as part of their membership in various professional organizations such as the Institute of Management Consultants USA.

This is a sad time for those of us who were loyal subscribers and avid readers as well as the volunteers who supported the Journal of Management Consulting, Inc., the not-for-profit educational corporation that published C2M.

But, it's an opportunity for you. Over 600 hundred articles -- going back to the original issue -- are available in electronic form to download for the very reasonable price of US$ 49. You can download a few, a hundred or ALL of them for that US$ 49. Follow the C2M link above and scroll down till you see "Special Archive Pass" on the right side. Then, just follow instructions.

If you're interested in consulting and would like to add to your personal library or -- like me -- are writing a book and are looking for a source of well written articles on a wide variety of subjects to add to your reference material, it's a great bargain.

One catch however. You have to complete the downloading by September 30th. After that they'll no longer be available.